Night Whispers/Chapter 14
Chapter description :Jayfeather tidies his den by picking up herbs off of the den floor, commenting how much of a waste it is to patch Lionblaze's wounds. He knows that with the snow, herbs will be harder to find and collect, and comments that Brightheart and Leafpool returned with a few pawfuls of herbs the night before. Jayfeather is snapped back to reality by Briarlight yelling her mother's name, Millie, in exclamation. She drops some fresh-kill beside her daughter's nest, and despite Briarlight's protests of not being hungry, Millie attempts to feed her. Jayfeather pads forward, checking the paralyzed she-cat for a fever, but found only thoughts of worry and guilt. He tells Millie to leave the prey with him, sending her back to the hollow. :Briarlight doesn't know why her mother has to fuss so much, and tries to talk to Jayfeather about it, but the medicine cat is distracted by trying to find a chest infection in the cat's lungs. He found nothing, and asks Briarlight again if she was hungry. When she replies no, he accuses her of lying, because she doesn't feel like she deserves prey due to her not being able to hunt. Briarlight pretends not to know what he's talking about, but he explains that he understands she's trying to be fair, but it isn't as simple as that. Briarlight defends herself, but Jayfeather lists off cats of the Clan that do not hunt, such as Daisy and Mousefur. He tells her that they give her prey because they care for her, but Briarlight wishes there was something she could do to help in return. Jayfeather then issues her out of her den and tells her to keep balls of moss piled beside the pool for soaking, and tells her it is her new job to check for splinters, thorns, and to divide and stack it accordingly, and Briarlight agrees. :Jayfeather begins to sort through his herbs when he finds a scrap of black fur, recognizing it to be Hollyleaf's. He is taken back to his days as a kit, before a voice calls his name. He recognizes the voice to be Yellowfang, confused as to why she would do it now, due to Jayfeather making a trip to the Moonpool later that night. She instructs him to come with her, and Jayfeather follows the order, telling Briarlight to keep matching leaves as he pads out of the den. :Yellowfang tells Jayfeather that she saw Lionblaze fight the fox, and that it was a sign because he fought it alone. She tells him that ThunderClan, like Lionblaze, must fight alone. She continues, saying that only one Clan will survive, and it is their job to fight alone. With Jayfeather objects, saying that the Dark Forest is training cats from every Clan, Yellowfang asks him why The Three belong to ThunderClan, and no one else. Jayfeather wants to know more, but Yellowfang fades, and Jayfeather is left alone. :Jayfeather is later seen beginning his journey to the Moonpool. Millie and Briarlight call after him to take care, and Lionblaze is seen telling Rosepetal and Foxleap the story of how he defeated the fox. Jayfeather, though tempted to share what Yellowfang had said, decides he would like to hear what the rest of StarClan had to say first, and slips off into the forest. :Jayfeather meets up with Kestrelflight and Willowshine, but notices that Littlecloud and Flametail are missing. Willowshine tells him that they'll have to catch up, since it is too cold to stand still. Jayfeather pads alongside them, following them up the cliff and into the hollow. When there was still no sign of the ShadowClan medicine cats, Willowshine wonders if they should wait. Jayfeather, although, was already following the path down to the Moonpool. Jayfeather tells himself that there was no need to walk in his own dreams tonight, since Yellowfang had already spoken to him. He focuses on Kestrelflight, and enters into the medicine cat's dreams. :Jayfeather sees Kestrelflight walking beside Barkface, who was walking heavily as if the sky weighed heavily on his backside. Barkface tells Daisytail to explain something to Kestrelflight. She explains that she stood up for her Clanmates when they were led by a leader who apprenticed kits early, and that there is a time when cats must stand and fight. Kestrelflight is confused, and reminds her that he's a medicine cat, and he follows a different code than a warrior. Barkface growls that everything is changing, and that WindClan must protect themselves from the greatest battle. Daisytail tells him that WindClan must stand alone. Kestrelflight tells the she-cat that Tallstar never saw any weakness in allying with other Clans, but Daisytail says that Tallstar was blinded by his friendships. Barkface tells the medicine cat that they do not know their enemy yet, but they will know them in due time. :Daisytail then jerks her head around, tasting the air, and intimidating Jayfeather to as if she smelled him or not. He descends down a slope until it was a calm, grassy bank, and finds cover in the new environment. Willowshine and Mudfur are seen talking, and Mudfur tells her the same prophecy: that RiverClan must stand alone. Graypool is heard telling the medicine cat that ancestors will walk alongside her, and when Willowshine begins to defend the history of the cats working together, Graypool tells her things have changed. Willowshine asks to tell Mothwing, but Graypool replies that she won't believe it. :Willowshine desperately asks who will be fighting in the so-called Great Battle, and the ancestors tell her that it will be more terrible than anything she could ever imagine. Jayfeather, growing angry, flees. He wants to tell the other medicine cats, but is stopped by Yellowfang. She asks him if he believes her now, and that all four Clans must stand alone. She goes on to say that no one can be trusted, and that ShadowClan did not visit the Moonpool because they have already abandoned them. :Jayfeather threatens the old medicine cat that he will tell the other cats what is really going on, and Yellowfang springs at him, pinning him to the ground. She says that if he doesn't keep quiet, all the Clans will be lost to darkness. Jayfeather then opens his eyes, and finds himself beside the Moonpool. Kestrelflight and Willowshine had alreay began their trek back, as if they did not want to speak to anyone else. :Jayfeather scrambles after them, beginning to tell them about the dark forest, but the crackling of ice silences him. He turns, and sees the Moonpool freezing over. He watches StarClan cats appear among the glittering, icy walls, and recognizes Rock among them. He pleads for some sort of sign to come from the cats, but only watches them one-by-one turn to ice before crackling into the moonlight. Only Rock remained against the wall, staring blankly at Jayfeather, with eyes as frosted as the Moonpool. Characters Major }} Minor *Millie *Ferncloud *Yellowfang *Lionblaze *Dovepaw *Rosepetal *Foxleap *Kestrelflight *Willowshine *Barkface *Daisytail *Graypool *Mudfur *Rock }} Mentioned *Leafpool *Daisy *Purdy *Mousefur *Molekit *Cherrykit *Hollyleaf *Littlecloud *Flametail *Tallstar }} Notes and references Category:Omen of the Stars arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:Night Whispers